So you have some money to spend on marketing? The big question is, how do you know what to spend it on to minimize risk and maximize return? The answer is through your balanced marketing portfolio.

We all understand the importance of having a balanced financial portfolio, but what about our marketing portfolio? If we invest the bulk of our marketing in limited activities, we are putting ourselves at risk of achieving a less than desirable return on our investment.

While in finance we want to balance risk and return, in marketing we want to balance 3 crucial elements – control, cost and credibility. Look at the diagram below.

Each of these 3 areas has varied degrees of control, cost and credibility.

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PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) is a security standard that applies to companies handling credit card numbers. The PCI level of enforcement differs based on the volume of transactions that a company handles. The lowest level is level 4, which applies to eCommerce sites processing less than 20,000 transactions annually. The highest and most stringent is PCI level 1, which applies to merchants processing over 6 million transactions a year. Ultimately, the goal is to increase security for all Web sites accepting payment via credit card. 2Checkout completes an annual audit for PCI compliance, which we take pride in maintaining consistently.

Level 4 merchants are typically subject to completing an annual self-assessment questionaire, which contains approximately 220 questions. Furthermore, annual external quarterly scans are a common requirement. The exact requirements are typically set by the merchants’ bank.

Smaller eCommerce sites that have credit cards compromised can be fined between $20 and $30 dollars per each stolen credit card up to $500,000 dollars. Additionally, depending on the size of the breach, the site could be required to hiring an external forensic investigator. The cost of an external audit typically begins around $10,000.

A report published recently by ECommerce-Guide.com identifies increased scrutiny that PCI Level 4 eCommerce sites are being subjected to.

The cost of becoming PCI compliant can be substantial. Especially if your Web site was not initially designed with security being a focus. The requirements cover all aspects of business: technology utilized and how it is implemented as well as business processes and workflow.

Utilizing 2Checkout can quickly enable PCI compliance for your eCommerce site, while keeping the cost of doing business lower in the long term. An eCommerce site, who utilizes 2Checkout, will typically not be required to complete any PCI compliance forms. Under certain circumstances, the bank providing your merchant account may require an 11-question PCI Questionnaire A. By completing this form, you will be attesting that your company does not handle credit card information. No changes to your servers or business processes will be required! This is one of the many areas where 2Checkout focuses to provide more value to you, our customers and suppliers.

Article was updated on 9/21/2009 clarifying requirements for “PCI Questionnaire A.”

Duncans BBQ Chips And Chunks

The Duncan Ranch is located in the heart of California’s Central Valley. We’ve been in the business of selling quality wood products at reasonable prices for over 35 years. Try one of our 14 varieties of Duncan’s Gourmet Smoking Woods such as Apple, Almond, Apricot, Oak, Peach or Plum in your barbecue or smoker for that authentic smokehouse flavor. Add a little something special to your homemade barbecue sauce with our Duncan’s All Natural Gourmet Honey! Available in Alfalfa, Orange Blossom, Clover, Sage, and Wildflower. With Duncan’s products, your satisfaction is guaranteed.

Click here to visit BBQchipsandchunks.com

Click here to apply to be a 2CO Spotlight.

September 7th is the “Labor Day” holiday, here in the United States, so the Federal Reserve will be closed and there will be no intraday transaction processing.

It’s unlikely, but possible that this will delay the payments made on September 3rd for some vendors.

Many people believe that their logo is their brand, and that they should make it as large, prominent and flashy to stand out from the crowd as much as possible- you know- to get noticed!

And that is why many advertisements fail.

What often gets lost in the ‘branding’ process is that your brand is much more than a cute logo, or your face, or how you write your company’s name. I work with many businesses that thought that if they displayed their expensive logo as large as possible people will walk/call/E-mail them and hand them thousands of dollars and say “Wow- you’ve got a very impressive logo- I couldn’t wait to give you my money! Thank you for taking it from me!”

So I ask you- how often have YOU had that conversation with someone you decided to do business with? Heck, when is the last time you paid more than a 20% premium on the “Brand Name” with no other clear differences? My guess is, as the savvy shopper I bet you are… is a long, long time ago.

So what is a brand really- and what builds up real, bankable brand equity?

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